A bizarre bank robbery attempt described as something out of a movie is under investigation by Northwest Washington authorities.
Newcastle Police reached out to the public Wednesday (January 2) for help identifying the prime suspect in a Monday, January 3 incident at Key Bank. Officers say employees noticed a leak coming from a ceiling tile and called their facilities company to check it out. Instead of weather-related damage, workers found a 3-by-3 foot hole cut into the roof, according to authorities.
Facilities workers said the hole didn't show signs of someone making entry into the bank, and police determined something attempted to break in but gave up. The roof was reportedly patched.
Then around 5:30 p.m. that day, a suspect dropped into the business from the ceiling tiles, police say. Authorities believe they were hiding in the ceiling tiles for at least 12 to 13 hours. They even called it an "Oceans 11 type" bank robbery in the Facebook post:
The suspect "took the 3 employees’ hostage by zip tying them to cabinets and each other. After doing this, the suspect demanded immediate access to the vault, but the employees explained that was not possible based on bank security measures that were in place. The suspect continued to terrorize the victims and demand access to the vault for several minutes. Ultimately, the suspect left the bank through the front door. Shortly after, an employee was able to get loose from the zip ties and call 911."
Even though there are scant details of the suspect's description, Newcastle Police says they're confident the suspect will the details about this incident to someone. "It is too bizarre a story for someone to keep to themselves," they wrote.
A $1,000 cash reward is available to anyone with information leading to an arrest. Tipsters can call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or submit through the P3 Tips App.